Got my new Drones yesterday which will make a Preshaw Halfset...just have to learn to hold them properly and get used to pumping the bellows more often. not as easy as I first thought. sound great all the same. excuse the image quality.

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outofthebox wrote:Yes - playing with drones is a whole new ball game - but that's what bagpipes are really all about

very true - I would have held the bag right up under my armpit, now I can't as it makes the drones to steep and I find it awkward to hold the chanter in a comfortable playing position. lowering the bag down towards my hip makes it somewhat easier to adjust the drones etc....but find it difficult to put pressure on the bag now to keep the drones and Chanter going, plus I have to continuously pump the bellows to get a steady drone sound without any wavering, something I'm not used to doing. So a new ball game is right, I expect it will be a right while before I am able to play these properly. something else to learn, not easy these pipes at all.

Mairtin - You could try first playing only with the tenor drone - put some kind of stopper in the ends of the baritone and bass drones. That way you can get used to playing against the drone, but without using so much air. Then once you find your balance you can add in the others.

outofthebox wrote:Mairtin - You could try first playing only with the tenor drone - put some kind of stopper in the ends of the baritone and bass drones. That way you can get used to playing against the drone, but without using so much air. Then once you find your balance you can add in the others.

Cheers outofthebox and John I will try what you's have suggested. Thanks

It helps a lot on my B chanter - the "eb" aka ghost d fingering produces a pretty flat Eb, and the key brings it up nicely. With practice it works well even on fast tunes like the Beare Island reel. I think it's even more pronouncedly helpful in the bottom octave. But definitely it's much easier to not play it unless you have some time on the note.